


A Summer to Remember

by reeby10



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Future Fic, Multi, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 04:16:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8875579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reeby10/pseuds/reeby10
Summary: Nancy proposes a summer road trip.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [brofisting](https://archiveofourown.org/users/brofisting/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide, brofisting! This is sort of a prologue to the Nancy/Steve/Jonathan relationship. There is at least a second chapter in the works, but I thought this could stand well enough on its own. I hope you enjoy it! :)

“I think we should go on a road trip this summer.”

Nancy looked up from her textbook to see Steve staring at her, hands tucked under his chin as he lay on her bed. The last time she’d glanced over at him he’d been sleeping instead of studying like he’d said he’d do when he came over, so she wondered where in the world that sudden proclamation came from. Maybe that’s what he’d been dreaming about.

“What do you mean a road trip?” she asked, flipping her book shut. She’d had enough studying for now anyway, and after last fall, finals weren’t exactly on the top of the list for things that frightened her. “Like we should drive up to [town]?”

Steve shook his head, moving over a little to give her space to lay next to him. His arm settled over the small of her back, warm and solid. “I was thinking a real road trip,” he said. “Just you and me in my car all summer, driving where the wind takes us.”

Nancy hummed, thinking hard. It didn’t sound like a bad idea, really, though she wasn’t sure her parents would agree. But she was an adult going off to college in August and she could make her own decisions. They’d just have to deal with that. 

Plus, there were some strange news articles she’d found over the past several months that she’d really like to check out in person. She wasn’t entirely certain what they meant, but she had a hunch at least some of them were connected to things like the monster they’d fought in November. As terrifying as that experience had been, it had also been kind of exhilarating, and she kind of thought Steve and Jonathan had thought the same, thought they’d never really talked about it.

“Alright, we can go on a road trip,” she finally conceded, smiling as Steve fist pumped his victory. She held up a finger. “But we’re going to investigate some weird stuff I’ve heard about. And we’re taking Jonathan.”

***

Nancy spent the next two days convincing Steve to agree on investigating some things while they were on their road trip. She knew it would be dangerous just like he argued, but she wasn’t going to be deterred. She showed him some of the clippings she’d collected, much to his dismay. All he could think about was the danger they might get in.

One thing he didn’t seem to have any problem with was inviting Jonathan along, which at first surprised her. He’d been a lot nicer to Jonathan after everything had happened, and Nancy might have even called them something like friends if pressed, but a summer road trip was a little different than the three of them sitting together at lunch or occasionally going out to see a movie. She wasn’t sure if he was agreeing just to make her happy or because he actually wanted Jonathan along, but either way she appreciated it.

It took quite a bit more discussion to get Jonathan to agree on the trip. That wasn’t so surprising in all honesty. As much as she tried to let him know they were friends and she, and Steve, enjoyed having him around, she knew he didn’t always believe her. She hoped the road trip would help with that.

“I’ll talk to your mom, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Nancy said as she slid into a seat across the table from where Jonathan slouched over his lunch. Steve plopped down beside her a moment later, wrapping an arm around her waist. “You know she likes me, I’m sure she’d agree.”

Jonathan only barely glanced up before returning to his sandwich, shoulders hunching a little more. “I didn’t talk to her,” he said after a long moment. “I don’t… I don’t want to be a bother.”

Nancy opened her mouth to reply, to tell him for the hundredth time that he wasn’t a bother, because he really wasn’t, but Steve beat her to it. She smiled as he cleared his throat, leaning across the table until Jonathan was forced to look up and meet his gaze.

“We invited you,” he said, and Nancy could tell his smile was entirely genuine. It made something warm alight in her chest, knowing that he’d changed so much for the better since they first started dating. “We want you to go.”

“But-”

“No buts,” Nancy said firmly before digging into her own lunch. “We want you on this trip with us and I think you want to go too. It’ll be fun, just the three of us driving around all summer. You can even pick the music if you want.”

***

They left the day after school was over for the semester. Nancy stood on the porch in the early hours of the morning, waiting for Steve to arrive. She’d asked her parents not to wait outside with her, but she had a feeling at least her mother was watching through the window.

Neither of her parents had been very happy when she’d told them she was going on a road trip with Steve and Jonathan and they’d tried to stop her, or at least convince her not to go. But she knew that even more than this being something she wanted to do, this was something she needed to do. The road trip was her first real step toward independence and a future she had a choice in.

She didn’t want to end up like her parents, like her mother, married young and stuck in the same town her whole life. She needed some adventure.

Steve drove up before she had long to dwell and she headed down the walk, waving at the twitching curtain behind her. She climbed into the car, leaning over to give him a kiss before he pulled away from the curb, tires screeching a little. She was sure her mother was loving that.

“Are you excited?” Nancy asked after a few minutes of driving. “I know you talk a big game, but you haven’t been on a road trip before either.”

“Thanks for not sparing my rebel pride,” he replied with a wry smile. She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hold back a smile of her own. “Since I’m with you, I’m excited. And Jonathan too, of course.”

“Oh come off it, you like him as much as I do.”

Nancy felt a little twinge of guilt as soon as the words left her mouth because in all actuality, she liked Jonathan quite a bit more than she should just a friend. She waited for Steve to say something about it because it was hard to believe he hadn’t realized that by now, but he didn’t say a word. She looked over to see him frowning, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. This was not what she’d wanted, especially at the beginning of their road trip.

“That’s really not-” she started, hoping to stop things before they got out of hand, but she was interrupted by him suddenly swerving to the side of the road and parking. “Steve?”

Steve’s head was bowed, his eyes locked on his white knuckled hands, and Nancy started to worry that she’s really said the wrong thing. If he got mad about her liking Jonathan or presuming he did too, she didn’t know what she’d do. It was part of the reason she’d never meant to say anything in the first place. The three of them were good as friends now, and she didn’t want to mess that up.

When Steve finally said something, Nancy almost didn’t hear him. The words were quiet, like he was telling a secret he was afraid of. And maybe he was.

“What did you say?” she asked as kindly as she could, placing a careful hand on his knee.

He took a deep breath before looking up at her, eyes dark and guarded. “I said I do,” he repeated, voice a little stronger, but still afraid. “I like him too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Concrit welcome. If you like my fic, feel free to come hit me up [on tumblr](http://voldiebuns.tumblr.com/)!


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